The Five Keys
by E1914
Summary: Atira never knew that she would be one of them. One of the four specially skilled benders out there, whose destiny was to help Avatar Aang win the war. But, when her siblings Sokka and Katara leave with the Avatar, and tell her to stay and protect the Southern Water tribe. Atira needs a plan and fast. With the help of Gran Gran, and even Prince Zuko? Her journey begins.
1. The Birth Of A Key

_I remember the first time I opened my eyes. Exposing them to a whole new world. A woman, my mother, held me in her arms. She would whisper words and kiss my cheeks, then she would cuddle. A cold breeze blew from the open flap of the tent, as a man, a little girl, and a little boy ran in. I remember trying to raise my head to get a good look at them. But to no avail, so I cried. My mother passed me into the arms of the man, whom I later found out was my father. He looked at me with so much love, and gently brushed the wobbly tears from my eyes. The little boy tugged at my father's sleeve, and my father lowered me for the boy to see. I stared at that goofy brother of mine. His bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle when I smiled at him. I raised my hand and tugged on his short brown ponytail. "Ow" he said with a frown. The girl, my sister, who was sitting next to my mother giggled. I let go of my brother's hair and looked at her. She slowly got up and walked towards me. I giggled as she bent down and planted a kiss on my nose. "What's her name?" I heard her ask. My mother and father both looked at each other. "Atira" my mother said, she smiled at me as I stuck out me tongue. "Her name is Atira". _

_ My grandmother runs into the tent with three other men. "Is she a bender?" one of the men asked. My father hands me to my grandmother. Who feels around my chest and my hands. Gently massaging my weak muscles. "No" she says looking at me surprised "she's the bender". I remember the silence when she said that. My little head strained to see the faces of those in the room. Trying to understand why everyone was so quiet. "So then we've found our little water bender" another man says "one of the five keys to ending the war." I stare at my grandmother as if waiting for the answer. "Yes" she says looking at my mother "we've found her"._

**Authors Note: Hi guys! Yeah, I know this isn't a long chapter, but it is just the introduction. This story will be along the lines of the Avatar: The Last Airbender tv series. But, it will be taken from the point of view of Atira (Sokka and Katara's younger sister). Throughout the story, you will learn more about these _five keys _and what role they play in the war against the Fire Lord. I hope you enjoy this story. Please Review!**


	2. The Avatar

"Atira" Maggie says, shaking me awake. "Were all waiting for you by the river." I sigh and sit up on my mat. I look tiredly at the little girl standing in front of me. "Come on sleepy head" she says pulling on my arm. "Okay, okay" I say getting up "Tell everyone that I will be there in five minutes".

"Okay!" she says turning and running out of the tent. I look around the empty tent, Sokka and Katara's mats are neatly folded up and stacked in a corner. _They must have left already. _Today was Katara's turn to go fishing with Sokka. Which is fine with me, because my brother can be a little sexists when it come to hunting. He says that girls can't hunt, and that they are suppose to do all the cooking and cleaning. Well, I say he's wrong, and that he shouldn't underestimate his two awesome, water bending sisters! So, while Katara's gone, I have to do the daily chores alone.  
I lift up my mat, revealing the clothes underneath it. Rolling it up, I put it on top of Sokka's mat in the corner. Then I pick up my freezing cold clothes, and shake them out; small chunks of frozen rock fall out from my pockets. I was skipping stones on the water yesterday, so those were the remains of my rocks. I pull my blue anorak over my head, and slip on my dark blue trousers. What I love about our clothing, is how warm it is. It's lined and trimmed with white fur, which makes it look nice too. I walk to the corner where all our personal belongs are laid out. Sokka's underwear sits on top of a small seal skin bag. "Ugh Sokka" I mummer, picking it up with my middle finger and thumb and tossing it carelessly behind me. I open the seal skin bag and take out a small, silver cuff. A gift from my mother, the last gift she ever gave me. Engraved in the bracelet are the four nations emblems. The Water Tribe emblem is the biggest, a circle with a waning crescent moon and three wavy horizontal lines that represent the ocean. In the moon, is a small blue aquamarine jewel. All the other nations emblems on the cuff are small and dull. I was told that there are only four bracelets of this kind in the world. One for every nation. That's why I am proud to wear it!

Why I have it, has something to do with the fact that I'm a helper to the Avatar or something... whatever. Like that would ever happen, the Avatar's been missing for one hundred years. We have better men fighting the war right now. By the time he shows up, if he ever does, the war will probably be over. Katara still has this hope that the Avatar will return and end the war. But, Sokka's convinced me otherwise. Besides, dad told me to listen to my brother, before he left for war. And, Sokka was reasonable, while Katara wasn't. I even started doubting that the Avater ever existed. _The master of all the elements, ha! That's impossible. _I recall asking Katara why only the Avatar could bend all the elements, and not the rest of us. She said I was being ignorant, and that that was the Avatar soul duty. Not ours! This didn't convince me, so I sided with my somewhat logical brother.

While putting on my gloves and boots, Maggie pulls back the door flap. "Five minutes is up!"  
I grab a comb and untangle my thick dark brown hair. Then I braid a braid on each side of my head, and connect it in the back. I grab my wooden tooth brush and do a quick brushing. "Tick tock" she says stomping her feet. "Okay smarty pants" I say scooping the little girl up into my arms. Maggie is my best friend, even if were years apart. She's seven and I'm thirteen. Gran Gran said that age doesn't make a difference when it comes to love and friends. She's right, because I love my friend.  
Down by the icy river, all the tribe's kids are sitting on empty jugs, talking and laughing in a circle. There all so little, from age three to seven. Katara, Sokka, and I are the only teenagers in the village. "Morning" I say when I get to where they are. "Good morning Atira" they all say together. I look at all their jugs, and then at their bright, cheery faces. "Okay, I want everyone to form an orderly line, youngest to oldest by the river." They all do as I asked, the younger kids up front, and the older kids in the back. I take my place by the river, and the first little boy places his jug in front of me. Blocking out all other sounds, I concentrate on the water before me. Carefully directing the water from the river into the jug. I do this for each kid, and when I'm done I'm exhausted! As the children walk back to the village, I sit down on the edge of the bank.

The water in the river flows quietly, and calmly. I lean forward to see my reflection. Unlike the rest of the water tribe, my eyes are a dark brown color. It doesn't bother me though, it makes me unique. A few loose hairs from my braid fly into my face, and I brush them quickly out of the way. My bright pink nose looks strange up against my dark caramel colored skin. Even though I'm used to the cold, I always look like I'm freezing! "Atira!" Maggie yells running in my direction. "Come quick! There's a visitor! Sokka and Katara brought back a boy!" _A visitor? Who would be wandering out here, there's nothing but ice. _I get up from off the icy ground, curious to find out who this person might be. I follow Maggie back to the village. _Who is this person? What does he want? Why is he here? Whatever the reason is, can we trust him? _

…

"Aang, this is the entire village. Entire village, Aang." Katara says to the bald boy. I notice on the arrow on his head right away, an Airbender tattoo. "Why are they all looking at me like that?" Aang whispers to Katara "Did Appa sneeze on me?"_ Appa? Who's Appa? _Gran Gran interrupts my thought's "Well no ones seen an Airbender in a hundred years. We though they were extinct." I watch as Aang's eyes widen in shock "Extinct?!" Katara puts a hand on his shoulder "Aang, this is my grandmother" Gran Gran doesn't smile (she never smiles) "Call me Gran Gran". "And this" Katara says walking towards me "is my sister, Atira". "Hi Aang" I say with a smile. He bows his head "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise"

Sokka comes up behind me and grabs the stick Aangs holding. "What is this? A weapon? You can't stab anything with this!" Aang takes it back from my brother "It's not for stabbing, its for Airbending." The stick turns into a glider all of a sudden. Maggie's sister Peggy gasped "Magic, do it again!" Aang smiles at her "Not magic, Airbending. It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly." I raise and eyebrow "Really?" I ask. He nods "Let me show you". Sokka snorts "You know, the last time I checked... humans can't fly!" A guile smile crosses Aangs face "Check again". And then he's off, soaring through the air. I give Sokka a smug look, and he rolls his eyes "So he can fly, big deal". I cheer along with the other kids and Katara, as he flies around. I'm ashamed to say, I laughed when he hit his head on one of Sokka's watchtowers. "Oh no" Katara remarks giggling in her hand. "MY WATCHTOWER!" Sokka screams running towards it. "That was awesome" I say giving Aang a hand and helping him off the floor. "That was amazing!" my sister says trying to hold in a laugh. A pile of snow falls on Sokka, and he looses it. "Great! You're an Airbender. Katara and Atira are Waterbenders. Together you can waste time, all day long. I've had enough!" Gran Gran rolls her eyes at Sokka's nonchalant manner, and walks toward Katara.

"You guys are waterbenders!?" Aang says surprised. I nod, katara looks uneasy "Well... sort of... not yet." she says. It's always been a little easier for me to learn waterbending then for Katara to. I learn things a little faster then she does. This makes her a little mad sometimes, and then I feel pretty bad. So, I try my best not to waterbend around her. "All right" my grandmother says "No more playing. Come on Katara, you have chores to do." Katara waves goodbye to Aang, and a bunch of kids surround him. I walk up to Sokka, who is vigorously trying to fix his crumbled tower. "It's okay Sokka, we can build it back." He looks at me "Yeah I know, but if it wasn't for him" he points to Aang "none of this would have happened". I sigh "Live a little brother, come on he was just having fun".

"Yeah well, fun isn't going to do anything around here" he mutters. I turn my head just in time to see Taphan, a little boy in our tribe, yank the staff that's frozen on the Airbenders tongue. The kids laugh, Sokka groans. "Hey, your still coming to my lesson today right?" he asked quietly. Oh yeah, he invited me to look in on his "warrior lessons". "You forgot didn't you?" he said. _Yes_ "No" I say, but he doesn't look convinced. "Warrior lessons in ten minutes" Sokka yells to all the boys.

…

"Now men, it is important to show no fear when facing a firebender. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" _This is so boring_ I think to myself. I'm sitting on the ground, discreetly melting and freezing the ice in front of me. Taphan raises his hand "I gotta pee!" I smirk _And I gotta go. _"Listen!" Sokka yelled "Until your fathers return from the war, you have to be the men of the tribe. And that means No Potty Breaks." _Now I have to go pee _"But I really got to go" Taphan says quickly. Sokka sighs and looks at me. I look innocently back at him. "Okay, who else has to go?" All of them raise there hands. Sokka dismisses them, muttering under his breath. "Was it really that bad?" he asked me sadly. "Well... it was very... informative" I say with a reassuring smile. He smiles but it fades when he see's Aang coming out of the bathroom. "Katara get him out of here now! This lesson is for warriors only." Katara giggles while Aang lets the kids slide down the back of Appa. I met Appa earlier, he's the cutest, fluffiest beast I've ever seen. "Stop it! Stop it right now!" Sokka yells running up to them. "What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on." Aang's smile fades "What war?" He jumps off his bison "What are you talking about?" I open my mouth "You don't know..."

"Your kidding right" Sokka says interrupting me. But, Aang attention is on something else. "Penguin!" he takes off into the distance. "He's kidding right?" Sokka says to Katara. She rolls her eyes and runs after him. I look at Sokka and shrug. _There's something weird about this kid. We can't trust him. He's hiding something. Something very important. _

Sokka and I walk back to our tent. I lay out my mat and lay down on it. Sokka flips through different maps and scrolls. "Somethings not right" I hear him say. He looks at me "The wars been going on for a century now. And, It just doesn't make sense that he knows nothing about it." When he says that, a loud booming sound is heard. We rush out of the tent, and in the sky you can see a flare going up. Exploding into mini flares and leaving a trail of smoke. "She's done it now" Sokka says through grit teeth. He heads to Gran Gran's tent, with me following close behind.

**Authors Note: I tried to get this to you as fast as I could. Thanks to my Avatar comic books, I was able to finish quickly. For those who have watched the series, you know how the story goes. But, within the next few chapters, we leave this story behind... and start Atira's story. Reviews please! Idea's too, I'd be happy to include any idea's. **


	3. Invasion

The whole tribe gathered in front of the village. Waiting for Aang and my sister, to return from... where ever they were. Gran Gran suspects that they were in that Fire Navy ship further down. If that was the case, then they walked right into a bobby trap. And, if there were any fire navy ships on the seas nearby, well... lets just say things could get pretty ugly. "There they are!" one of the girls says, as Aang and Katara appear coming down the hill. Sokka steps forward "I new it! You signaled the Fire Navy ship with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?!" Katara jumps to Aang's defense "Aang didn't do anything! It was an accident." I glance over at Aang, who looks down at the ground guitly. "Yeah, we were on the ship and there was a bobby trap and... well, we boobied right into it."

"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship, now we could all be in danger!" Gran Gran says with a shake of her head. Aang looks at her "Don't blame Katara... I brought her there. It's my fault."

"Ah-ha!" Sokka says "The traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemy. The foreigner is banned from our village!" I softly pull on my brother's sleeve and whisper "Don't you think that's a little harsh?" He ignores me, keeping his glare on the young airbender. "Aang is not our enemy!" Katara yells "Don't you see?! He's brought us something we haven't had in a long time... **fun.**"

"**Fun?!**" Sokka yells back "We can't **fight **Firebenders with fun!" Aang smiles "Well, you should try it sometime..." _Uh oh _I think looking at my brother. "Get out of our village! **Now!**" my brother says firmly.

Katara looks like she's about to cry, "Grandmother, please! Don't let Sokka do this!"

"Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it would be best if the Airbender leaves." Katara grabs Aang's arm and pulls him towards Appa. "**Fine! **Then I'm banished too! Come on Aang, let's go!"

"Where do you think your going!" Sokka yells. "To find a teacher, Aang and I are going to the North Pole!"

"Katara..." I say quietly watching sadly as my sister prepares to get on Appa. "Katara, you'd really choose him over your tribe...? Over your own family?" She stops in her place, Aang and her exchange a few words. And, then he hops on Appa. "Let's see your bison fly now, Air-boy!" Sokka says crossing his arms. Aang grabs the reigns on his bison's saddle "C'mon, Appa, you can do it. Yip-yip!" I raise and eyebrow as the bison grunts. "Yeah I though so!" Sokka yells. Peggy runs up to Aang crying. I can't here what she says, but Aang's face turns to sorrow. Then he leaves, and Peggy walks back to her mother. "Were in trouble now" Sokka mummers to me. I watch as Katara yells at my grandmother. _You have no right to be yelling! Your the one that would leave us for a little boy! _"All right! Ready our defenses! The Fire Nation could be on our shores any moment now!" Sokka yells. Taphan walks up to him, "And no potty breaks!" Sokka says to him.

…

"What can I do, Sokka?" I ask watching as my brother paints his face and prepares for whatever is to come. He wipes the remaining paint on his fingers off on a cloth, and looks at me. "Atira look, it would probably be best if you stayed... hidden."  
"Why?"  
"Your... different, and if the Fire Nation got a hold of you..." he stops, not making eye contact with me.

"What!?" I ask desperate for the answer. "What!?"

"They could kill you!" He yells, his blue eyes getting bigger. I stay quiet. The flame on our torch flickers. "I gotta go" he mumbles, walking out of the tent. I sigh and pull up the sleeve of my anorak. The cuffs gem glows in the torch light.

"_This gem signifies your never ending peace, and harmonious nature" my mother said, fastening the cuff on my wrist. I was only six at the time. "But why am I the only one with it?" I asked tracing the water insignia. My mom wraps her arms around me and smiles. "The unique thing about you, is that aside from being able to withstand the power of the other elements. You can prevent them for touching you entirely." I look up at her "What do you mean?" She unwraps her arms from around me "Come __with me". I follow her outside curiously. She picks up a good sized rock and holds it up for me to see. "Watch" she says, and then she throws it at me. Just like anyone who sees a rock flying full speed towards them, I panic and hold my hands in front of my face. But, nothing hits me. I look up, thunderstruck as the rock just floats in mid-air in front of my hand. I gasp dropping my hands to my side. The rock drops to the ground. My mom smirks. "That's what I mean. You're the only one in the whole Water Nation who possesses this power. There's one like you in every nation. You're also the most powerful of all Waterbender's. One of the five keys to ending the war against the Fire Nation." _

I think about what she said. "One of the five keys to ending the war against the Fire Nation" I whisper. _This isn't right, I shouldn't be hiding in here. Avatar or no Avatar. I am a key, my duty is to protect and save! _I get up and run out of the tent.

…

All the villagers are crowded in the middle. An iron Fire Navy ship sits in broken ice. Sokka's butt is poking out of a pile of snow. A couple soldiers are almost down the ramp. I quickly mix in with the crowd of people. Katara notices me right away, but says nothing. The soldier in the middle, only looked to be about sixteen. A big scar covers his left eye, causing it to be permanently squinted. His expression is hard, his amber eyes dangerous. "Where are you hiding him?" _Who? _Like me, the rest of the tribe is quiet, looking at him in confusion and fear. The boy grabs my grandmother "He be about this age! MASTER OF ALL ELEMENTS!" He pushes Gran Gran back "I know your hiding him!"

Sokka charges at the boy with his club. The boy flips my brother over his shoulder and shoots fire at him. "Ah" my brother screams as the fire singes the fabric covering his arm. He throws his boomerang, but it misses the boy. "Show no fear!" Taphan yells throwing Sokka a spear. He charges at the boy, but he snaps it like a twig. Then he hits my brother with the butt end of the broken spear. Anger charges through me. No one messes with my family and gets away with it. I make my way to the front of the crowd, but Maggie's mother grabs my hand. She discreetly shakes her head, and clutches my hand. I hear a _ding _in the air, and Sokka's boomerang flies back, hitting the boy in the back of the head. He looks down at my brother, angry and preparing to strike again.

Suddenly, Aang slides under the boys legs on a penguin. Causing him to fall flat on his face. All the kids cheer, I smile and run up to Sokka. "Hey Katara. Hey Atira. Hey Sokka" Aang says. "Hi Aang" Sokka says flatly "Thanks for coming". Aang turns to face the soldiers "Looking for me?"

"You're the Airbender!? You're the Avatar!?" The boy says. "Wait, what!" I say. "Aang?" Katara whispers. "No way" Sokka says.

More soldiers pour out the ship and surround Aang, or should I say, the Avatar. The boy recovers from his shock "I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating... but your just a child!"

"Well... your just a teenager" Aang replies. The boy attacks, Aang diminishes the flames with is glider. This causes the boy to attack harder. Flames rushing towards us. We shield ourselves from the heat. "Stop!" Aang says firmly "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?" The boy nods. Soldiers get on either side of Aang and walk him back to the ship. "NO AANG DON'T DO THIS!" Katara yells. "It's okay Katara, it will be okay." he says, as one of the soldiers push him forward. "Head a course to the Fire Nation!" The boy commands "I'm going home". _I'm going home? _ The way he says it makes me think that he hasn't been home in years.

By the time I figure out the boys identity, the ship is long gone. And, everyone's fixing up the damage done to the village. _He's the Fire Lord's son. Prince Zuko. _I look around for Katara and Sokka, and spot them by the river. Filling a kayak with sleeping bags and food. _Where are they going? _Gran Gran walks up to them. They talk and then exchange hugs. _There leaving!? Without me!? _I run up to them "Wait up!" I call. Sokka's smile fades. "I'm coming with you" I say when I get to them. "No, you need to stay here" Katara says. "Why can't I come!?" I ask crossing my arms. "Because you're a Waterbender, and this tribe needs you to protect them!" she says. "Sokka!" I say looking at my brother hopefully. But, he just shakes his head "Where your needed most right now is here, protecting this tribe." My eyes widen "But, I have to come. You know I do!" Katara pulls me into a hug "We know you do, you were born for this. But, not right now. We'll come back for you soon." I'm not convinced "But..."

"Atira" Sokka says taking my chin in his hand. "Katara and I got this. We will come back for you, but right now we need to rescue Aang."

"Since when do you care about Aang!" I yell pulling away from him and my sister grip.  
"Atira listen..."

"No, I'm tired of listening. Just leave me alone!" I turn and run. Where? I don't know. I just run, up and down hills. In and out caves. Then I slip on the ice and tumble downwards. When I get back up, I'm in a place I've never been before. And I'm lost, hurt, and on the verge of tears.

**Authors Note: Atira's journey is about to begin! Reviews and Ideas please. I would be happy to include any idea's in my story. :) **


	4. Conversations

"Atira!" I hear a few of people call, from outside my ice tent. I didn't feel like walking all the way back to the village, so I Waterbended an ice tent with the intention of camping out for the night. "Atira?" someone says stopping outside my tent. "Atira can you come out please." I recognize the voice as being Maggie and Peggy's mother. I put my hand on one of the tent sides, and it melts away. Then I crawl out and look up at her. A worried expression sets on her face, when she see's the tear lines on my face. "Oh my dear" she sighs, sitting down next to me. "Are you alright?" I don't make eye contact with her, I just melt the rest of the tent. "I know you're upset" she says "And, I know that you were born to help the Avatar." I shake my head "If I was, then why aren't I with him right now?"

"Because maybe you weren't meant to be with him now." she say.

I stay silent.

"Maybe you're suppose to find your own way to help. Because you are one of the keys, you're duty is still to help end the war."

"So what are you suggesting I do?" I ask quietly, digging my fingernails into the ice.

"I'm suggesting that you go find a master. One who knows about the history of the Keys. And, trains them well."

I finally look up at her, "Sokka told me that I need to stay here and protect the tribe."

She smiles "The Fire Nation has no business coming here anymore. There's nothing for them to take."

"But..."

"Kana (Gran Gran) said that it would be best if you traveled to the Earth Kingdom to find your father. We'd be safer if you left."

I giggle "That is true."

She pulls me into a hug "I have faith in you my dear. I know that you will be fine on your own. Your strong."  
I bite my lip afraid that I might cry any moment.

"Tahnora!" another voice says from somewhere over the hill "Did you find her!"  
Maggie's mother kisses my forehead, and gets up from her spot on the ice. "Yes, Juliana! She's right here." Tahnora's sister, Juliana appears on the top of the hill. She sighs a breath of relief, when her eyes fall on me. "Child you gave us all a fright."

"I'm sorry" I say with a grin.

Tahnora takes my hand, and leads me back to the village. It turns out that I ran a few miles, because it took a time to get back to the village. When we did get back, it was already dawn. Gran Gran was waiting by one of Sokka's watchtowers. When she spots us, she runs up to me and smacks me on the head. "Ow" I say, caught off guard. "If you ever run away again..." but she doesn't finish, because I hug her. She hands me my seal skin bag. "You have a long journey ahead of you, my little Waterbender." I take the bag, surprised that she wants me to leave now. "You'll be alright?" I ask looking around at the three women. "Of course" they say together.

Gran Gran hands me a scroll. "Hakoda (my father) gave this to me before he and the other men left."

I unroll the scroll and examine the map on it. The map of the four nations, with a trail leading through the many earth kingdoms and to Ba Sing Se. "I believe this is the route he's taking. If you follow it, you should find him."

I roll up the scroll look at her. "And one more thing" she says holding up a beautiful dark blue cloak. "Just in case you get cold." I take it from her hands "Thank you". She nods and we stay quiet for a few seconds. "Well I guess I better get going" I say quietly. All three of them embrace me for the last time. Then I head up the icy hill, not looking back.

**Author's Note: I know this is a short chapter, but I wanted to get something out to you quickly. **

**KesseGirl1 I was going to leave Aang to Katara. Zuko is still being considered. But, I think you might be on to something when you say "someone else" :) Do you have anything in mind? **

**Thank you everyone for your comments!**


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